Mother's Cake
by cdsmm
Summary: Kaoru can't cook, but she can bake. One cake. She can bake one cake.


**Prompt:** 001

**Disclaimer:** Watsuki owns.

**Notes:** I can't seem to abandon writing completely. This one-shot was greatly inspired by Kit-Kat and a nice hot shower.

* * *

"Dammit! Dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit!" Kaoru stopped and sighed in frustration. She stomped her foot and glared at the offending savings box perched innocently on her desk. Just looking at it provoked another string of fresh profanities.

Misao, being Misao, poked her head through Kaoru's door and sat on her bed. She seemed unfazed by Kaoru's behavior. "What's up?" she asked cheerily.

"I don't have enough money to buy Kenshin that sword he wants." Kaoru whined, and slumped down to the carpet with her head buried in her arms.

For the past year, Kaoru had caught Kenshin looking at an ancient reverse-blade sword that cost 3,000,000 Yen on Ebay when he thought he was alone with the computer. Since then, she made it a promise to herself that she would buy it for him and make him the happiest person ever.

Misao sighed, "Kaoru, you know that whatever you give Kenshin will make him happy. You know that, because he loves you like that. Besides, 3,000,000 Yen is way past your budget, don't you think?" She heard Kaoru scoff. "Why don't you bake him a cake? Doesn't he like that one from Tae's bakery? Why don't you ask Tae for the recipe and bake him one yourself?"

Kaoru's head shot up, a look of shock spread upon her features. "Misao! I can't give Kenshin a cake for his 20th birthday! That's just so... blah."

"No, it's not. Trust me, he'll love it."

"How do you know?"

"I don't."

"Ugh! I'm going out. I'll see you tomorrow."

* * *

"Can I please have my salary in advance?" Kaoru begged.

"No."

"But it's -"

"No."

"-Kenshin's birthday."

"No."

"Why not?" she asked.

"Because you haven't earned it yet, and birthday or not, neither has my stupid nephew."

"But Hiko-san, I have nothing to give him, and his birthday is tomorrow!"

"Make him a cake."

"Gah!" she threw her arms in exasperation.

Hiko raised an eyebrow. Jesus, he looked so intimidating when he did that. Then again, he looked intimidating all the time, but Kaoru was stubborn and refused to be wavered.

"What's wrong with baking a cake?" he asked.

"Oh, come on! You don't really expect your girlfriend to give you a cake on your 20th birthday, do you?"

"Nothing could go wrong with baking a cake," he said. He looked so calm sitting behind his desk that Kaoru wanted to throw her bokken at him.

"You know how I am in the kitchen."

"And Kenshin knows that I pay you minimum wage here."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Her voice had a slight edge to it, almost challenging.

Hiko answered slowly, making sure Kaoru gets what he means and not think something else. He didn't want to upset her any further. "All I'm saying is that Kenshin will understand. He doesn't expect you to give him something grand. Heck, you could give him cotton boxers and a card and it'll make him happy, as long as it came from you."

Kaoru didn't answer. She just looked at him, but she wasn't seeing him, and he looked right back, and he was watching her.

It's not that Kaoru wanted to give him something extra expensive. She just felt insecure about Kenshin's reaction to other people's presents. What if he gets all these nice things and when it comes down to her, all he gets is a measly cake? She was scared of disappointing him. And she's not completely hopeless, she knew how to make a cake. She knew how to make _the _cake. It was her mother's creation, and she used to make it with her all the time before she passed away. She hadn't made one since.

"Well?" Hiko asked.

Kaoru's face was sullen. She turned to leave. "Party's at eight tomorrow night," she said before she shut the door behind her.

The next morning, she baked cake.

* * *

The party started at 8pm. Everyone was there: Sano and Megumi, Tae (who graciously provided the food), Hiko, Yahiko and Tsubame, Misao, Aoshi, and the rest of the Onibawan. Kenshin was the last to arrive, and Kaoru waited until everyone had greeted him before she shyly went up to kiss him on the cheek ang greet him happy birthday.

That was thirty minutes ago, and Kaoru hadn't talked to him once since then. She caught Kenshin stealing a couple of glances at her, he looked worried. She hated when he worried. She sent him what hoped to be a reassuring smile when she caught his eye.

* * *

So Kaoru was right. Kenshin _did_ get nice presents. He got a black 3rd generation iPod from Sano and Megumi, a laptop from Hiko, a one-year already paid for membership in his favorite gym from Misao, and the rest have theirs to give still. Was it just her, or was the room getting smaller?

She felt anxious, and her palms broke into a sweat. She didn't notice when Misao slid up next to her until she tugged at her arm and led her to the kitchen where she followed wordlessly.

"You made the cake?" Misao asked, looking at her with her big green eyes.

Kaoru nodded. She pointed to the fridge, where she kept the cake in the back of all the other stuff in case Kenshin dropped by.

"Ooooh," Misao said, gushing over the cake, "It looks so amazing, I bet you woke up early to make this." When Kaoru didn't answer, Misao put her arms around her and gave her a tight, reassuring hug. "It'll be great, Kaoru! He'll love this, just look at it, it looks like it was made by a pro!" she smiled a huge smile, showing Kaoru that she meant what she said.

Kaoru smiled back weakly. It didn't seem like half a bad idea to give Kenshin a cake she had made now that somebody else thought it was nice.

"I think I can do this." Kaoru said, smiling genuinely now.

"Atta girl."

They carried the cake gently and steered their way to the living room where everyone was. In their efforts to not drop the cake, they didn't notice how quiet it had become.

"Kenshin," Kaoru started, looking up at him with a grin as she and Misao set the cake on the table. "Happy birth-"

She stopped, for Kenshin wasn't looking at her. He was looking at Tomoe. Who let her in here? Tomoe stood in front of Kenshin and handed him a long wrapped parcel. He took it and opened it. Inside was the reverse-blade sword he had looked at all this time.

"Let's go take a walk," Kenshin said to Tomoe, after seconds of tense silence. He got up from the couch and walked passed his guests, not making eye contact with anyone - not even Kaoru - as he went out of the house with Tomoe behind his heel.

"What..." Kaoru started to say, but there was nothing to continue her question.

Misao and the others gathered around her, telling her it would be fine. How did they know? Surely they can't be certain that 'everything will be fine.' And what was Tomoe doing here anyway? She thought they had broken up. She felt her insides clench as she thought about Kenshin and Tomoe getting back together.

"I need to go get some air," she said, and parted her way through her friends, grateful that none of them tried to stop or follow her. She went outside through the back door to lessen her chances of running into Kenshin and Tomoe.

Her feet seemed to know where to take her. Swiftly, she walked down the street and to the side of the bridge where she lay on the grass by the lake. She did not cry. She thought, and thought. She thought some more and then cleared her mind. She would wait for Kenshin, she had waited for him ever since she met him, and she would do it again.

An hour had passed, and many minutes after that, and Kenshin finally came. He didn't say anything at first, just lay down beside her on the grass.

"Hi," he said, after he was sure Kaoru wouldn't get up and leave him.

"Hi."

"She wanted to get back together with me."

Kaoru nodded, urging him to continue, she didn't trust her voice not to crack.

"I said no."

She jerked her head to look at him, releasing the breath she didn't realize she was holding. "What? Why?"

Now it was Kenshin who looked at her, surprise in his features. "Did you want me to?" he sounded hurt.

"N-no! That's not what I meant."

"Then what did you mean?"

Kaoru squirmed under his gaze. She couldn't really tell in the dark, but it seemed like his eyes had turned that darker shade of purple whenever he felt strongly about something. "Well, she gave you that really nice sword." She didn't tell him that she had planned on getting him that.

Kenshin barked a laugh, he looked relieved all of a sudden. "Is that all? Oh, Kaoru. I wouldn't get back together with her just because she gave me that, I didn't even accept it. Besides," he rolled his body on top of hers and supported his weight with his hands on the side of her face, "I liked your present better." Then he kissed her.

It was a tentative kiss at first, he was asking her permission, and Kaoru gave it to him. She parted her lips and let his tongue fill her mouth, tasting her as she tasted him back.

When her lungs started screaming for air, Kaoru gently pushed his shoulders away and saw that he was breathing just as hard as her, causing her to giggle. "You ate the cake." she said guardedly.

"Mmmm," Kenshin murmured, nuzzling her neck. "It was really good, I've never tasted anything like it."

"It was my mom's," she said proudly.

Kenshin raised his eyebrows. She never talked about her mom before. "Tell her I said thank you," he said sincerely. "And Kaoru?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

Kaoru looked into his eyes and saw that he meant it. He meant it with every fiber if his being, and she loved him too. "Happy birthday." she whispered into his ear.

"Please don't ever think that I would ever leave you, especially not for a sword."

"'Mmkay, sorry."

He smiled at her and leaned in for another long kiss. Then they lay watching the stars and fell asleep holding each other, by the side of the bridge where the neighbors found them the next morning.

- _W A K A S_ -


End file.
